Director, Safety Operations

Rowan Digital Infrastructure • Denver, CO

1d • $176,000 - $215,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Rowan Digital Infrastructure is seeking a Director, Operations Safety to lead operational safety performance, risk management, and program execution across its growing portfolio of data center facilities, including commissioning, energization, facility turnover, and ongoing operations. The role reports to the Director, Safety Strategy & Operational Excellence and leads and develops Campus Safety Managers, establishes performance expectations, and prioritizes safety resources and initiatives based on operational risk and business needs. In partnership with the Energy Marshal Lead and Energy Marshals, the Director helps ensure consistent execution of Rowan’s safety strategy, effective critical-risk management, and accountability for operational safety outcomes across assigned campuses.

The Director partners with Data Center Operations, Construction, Commissioning, and Engineering leadership to integrate safety into maintenance planning, Methods of Procedure (MOPs), change management, contractor activities, equipment servicing, and high-risk work. The role verifies critical controls and maintains clear operational ownership. The position is based in Denver, Colorado, with a three-day hybrid in-office schedule and approximately 30% travel, including occasional travel to job sites and team gatherings. Compensation is listed as $176,000–$215,000, with bonus and variable compensation.

The role leads operational safety strategy and execution across campuses and commissioning-to-operations transitions; supports energization, turnover, and operational readiness; and integrates electrical safety and hazardous energy control into operational planning. It leads Campus Safety Managers, oversees operational safety programs and contractor safety, drives serious-injury-and-fatality (SIF) prevention and critical-risk management, monitors safety performance and continuous improvement, and partners with cross-functional leaders to address risk and support safe facility transitions.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive safety experience.
• Safety leadership experience in operational data centers or other live mission-critical facilities; direct experience in operational data center environments is required.
• Demonstrated experience managing safety risks involving live critical infrastructure, facility maintenance, electrical systems, vendor activities, and high-availability operations.
• Strong working knowledge of electrical safety, hazardous energy control, LOTO, commissioning and energization interfaces, contractor safety, and operational risk management.
• Experience leading safety professionals or specialized safety functions across multiple facilities or complex operations.
• Ability to translate enterprise strategy into scalable programs, clear accountability, and effective field execution.
• Strong communication and cross-functional leadership skills.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in occupational safety, Engineering, Environmental Health & Safety, Construction Management, or a related field is preferred.
• Professional certification such as CSP, CIH, CHST, or equivalent is preferred.
• Experience in hyperscale, colocation, or enterprise data center operations.
• Familiarity with facility turnover, critical equipment maintenance, and 24/7 operations.
• Knowledge of NFPA 70E, applicable OSHA requirements, SIF prevention, critical controls, Human and Organizational Performance principles, and operational readiness.

Responsibilities

• Lead execution of the enterprise safety strategy across operational campuses and commissioning-to-operations transitions, establishing priorities, measurable objectives, and accountability.
• Develop and implement scalable operational safety practices, processes, responsibilities, and performance expectations aligned with enterprise standards and portfolio growth.
• Prioritize safety initiatives and resources according to risk exposure, facility complexity, operational requirements, and business impact.
• Coordinate with Operations to anticipate maintenance, outages, and other high-risk work; align Campus Safety Manager coverage and coordinate Energy Marshal support.
• Use Good Catches, field observations, workforce feedback, critical-control verification, and other field intelligence to identify emerging exposures and direct preventive actions.
• Evaluate recurring events, high-potential near misses, and SIF precursors; identify systemic risk, prioritize corrective actions, resolve execution barriers, and escalate significant unresolved issues.
• Lead operational safety readiness assurance with Commissioning, Operations, Engineering, Construction, and Energy Marshal leadership, identifying and addressing gaps during overlapping activities, energization, and facility turnover.
• Partner with Energy Marshals, Commissioning, and Operations leadership to integrate electrical safety and hazardous energy control into operational planning and high-risk activities.
• Support coordination of safety responsibilities during energization, commissioning, maintenance, and transitions to operational ownership.
• Identify emerging electrical safety risks, evaluate field controls, and collaborate with responsible teams to address gaps.
• Build partnerships among Campus Safety Managers, Rowan Operations leadership, and third-party operations providers to align safety expectations, coordinate risk management, verify critical controls, and drive accountability.
• Lead, coach, and develop Campus Safety Managers, setting expectations, providing feedback, and holding the team accountable for campus-level implementation, contractor oversight, incident response, and critical-control verification.
• Integrate Campus Safety Managers with local Operations leadership while maintaining functional alignment with Rowan Safety.
• Plan campus safety staffing, hiring support, technical capability development, and succession based on facility complexity, operational risk, and portfolio growth.
• Integrate safety requirements into maintenance planning, MOPs, risk assessments, work permits, contingency plans, and emergency preparedness for live critical infrastructure.
• Provide owner-level safety oversight of vendors, OEMs, service providers, and contractors, challenging work methods, qualifications, and high-risk controls while maintaining their responsibility for safe execution.
• Partner with Operations and Procurement on contractor qualification, onboarding, work planning, and performance reviews; verify incident notification, investigation quality, corrective-action effectiveness, and escalation of persistent deficiencies.
• Embed SIF prevention and critical-control principles in operational and transition activities, using risk-based field assurance and critical-control verification for high-risk exposures.
• Oversee learning from significant operational incidents and high-potential near misses and share verified lessons across campuses.
• Implement Rowan safety programs across commissioning and operations, monitor performance against objectives and KPIs, and drive accountability for addressing risks and performance gaps.
• Partner with Safety Systems & Analytics on dashboards, risk trends, assurance measures, and data quality.
• Use field feedback, performance data, and technology-enabled insights to evaluate program effectiveness, prioritize improvements, and communicate operational risks, progress, and recommendations to leadership.
• Partner with Operations leadership to integrate safety into operational planning, maintenance, and risk decisions; collaborate with Construction, Commissioning, Engineering, Procurement, and enterprise Safety on cross-functional challenges and safe facility transitions.
• Coordinate interfaces and decision-making among Campus Safety Managers, Energy Marshal leadership, project teams, and Operations in accordance with the established organizational structure.
• Influence operational leaders and external partners, reinforce stop-work expectations, timely risk escalation, emergency-response coordination, and accountability, and provide risk-based recommendations to senior Safety and Operations leadership.

Benefits

• Hybrid working environment.
• Team-building and educational opportunities.
• Generous benefits package including robust health benefits and a 401(k) company contribution.
• Unlimited PTO.
• RTD ECO pass or parking reimbursement.
• Competitive compensation, bonus, and an incentive plan.
• Relocation assistance on a case-by-case basis.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed